This invention relates to a system which displays planar map data and cubic scene data on a graphic display, conducts normally a sight-seeing guide and shows the way, while it performs evacuation guidance in case of emergency. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method which improves operability of the system by a user.
The present invention relates also to a system for displaying a window having a three-dimensional shape in a scene displayed in a graphic display, and particularly to a method for improving efficiency in operating data displayed in a display and improving further visuality.
The prior art from the first aspect includes the following systems.
Systems for displaying a scene from a vector map and for retrieving a route on a map and displaying multi-media information such as a photo of a landscape near the route are described in "Towards Higher Utilization of Graphic Image Media" (1990, pages 49 to 54) of Papers of Functional Graphic Data Symposium and in "Graphics and CAD 49-3" (1991, pages 1 to 8) of Research Documents of Data Processing Society. Graphic image display, interface and systems in accomplishing virtual reality display of scene data are described in Documents of Servomechanism Association (1990, pages 11 to 14) and in "Graphics and CAD 49-8" (1991, pages 1 to 8) of Research Documents of Data Processing Society.
However, the prior art based on the first aspect is primarily directed to the conversion of a planar map to a cubic scene and to its display, but does not disclose a system for accomplishing simultaneously the characterizing features of both of them. That is, high visuality of a topological arrangement relation between figures in the case of the planar map and sensorial easiness in the case of the cubic map are provided on one system. As to the virtual reality system, a report has been made on the movement of an object in the virtual world displayed graphically, a contact method by a user to the object using a head mount type sensor device or a glove type sensor device, and display of its reaction, but no method has been reported which generates a new space in the virtual word expressed by scenes and displays additional attributes in another world in the virtual world by the use of windows.
As the prior art based on the second aspect, a display method of a window on a display and a method of using the window in computer graphics and topographic data processing are known as listed below.
Display method:
(1) a method which divides a main data display area from a window display area;
(2) a method which displays overlappingly the window with the main data display area. The window display method (1) is the system which secures in advance another region as a window region 1802 separately from a main data display region 1801 of a display screen for displaying main data as shown in FIG. 18, executes data processing in the main data display region 1801 in the interlocking arrangement with the data processing in the window display region 1802 or preferentially executes data processing in either of the regions. JP-A-2-165390 displays a map in such a window in order to determine the visual point of a three-dimensional object and its visual line, and recognizes the visual point and line in accordance with the way of watching the map.
The window display method (2) has its feature in that the window area is displayed inside the display screen of main data. JP-A-1-180343 employs a window in order to display an enlarged view, and adaptively changes the size of the window lest a region which is to be enlarged overlaps with the window display region as shown in FIG. 19. In FIG. 19, reference numeral 1901 denotes a main data display region, reference numeral 1902 denotes a display region to be enlarged and reference numeral 1903 does a window display region (display in enlargement).
As to the methods of using the window, there are the following two methods.
(1) a method which displays data in the window; and
(2) a method which regards the window as another world, activates a program linked with the window, and activates and executes a different program for each window.
The window using method (1) uses the window as a system which enables a user to easily watch the data, and JP-A-1-180343 discloses one of such examples.
The window using method (2) uses the window as a user interface for developing and executing a plurality of programs on one computer in a computer system capable of executing multi-task processings.
In the prior art based on the second aspect, the window displaying method (1) involves the problem that the main data display region becomes small because the display screen is used after being divided. The window displaying method (2) does not divide the display screen and has the merit that the display can be watched easily. However, the shape of the window is two-dimensional inside the display, and even three-dimensional data are given to the user as an image obtained by projecting the three-dimensional data on the two-dimensional window. Accordingly, when an access is made to the three-dimensional data displayed in the window by the use of a pointing icon so as to rotate the three-dimensional data having a complicated shape or to change its size, a complicated interference check with the data is necessary, and recognition of the visual line and point is difficult.
As described above, the window shape is two-dimensional in the window using method (1), and the window using method (2) does not relate to the display of the data. In this way, the prior art has failed to efficiently manipulate the three-dimensional data.